The End: Shed Your Tears of Blood
by mr. arlington
Summary: Sequel to Get Back. Five years after the end of Get Back, Sector V and Crow team up for one final battle. They're more than willing to join Crow and save the world. But are they willing to die for it? That's the question they must face.
1. Enjoy the Show

**The End**

Chapter 1: Enjoy the Show

"I'm getting tired of your mouth, boy!"

Another typical day for Wallabee Beatles. Life was getting more stressful lately. Puberty was messing with him, as it messes with all hapless teenagers. He needed action, adrenaline, something to keep him entertained. The secret teen part of the KND offered him some action here and there, but most of it was spy work, and not open fighting. So Wally had to get his kicks by getting into fights. He used to fight at school, but the kids there were no challenge. So bar fights had become his latest hobby.

"And I'm getting tired you, mate," replied Wally, pushing his blonde hair out of his eyes. He'd had a few beers and was feeling good. He rose from his seat and glared at the burly, tattooed biker. The guy looked at least twenty years older than him.

"Now, boys, settle down, settle down!" pleaded the bartender. "Come on, Jake, he's just a kid. You could get in trouble for assaulting a minor!"

"Just a kid, and yet you serve him drinks anyway, Mick," said a biker from Jake's gang. The bartender blushed and remained silent.

""I think it's time I taught ya some manners, kid," growled Jake, pulling a long steel chain from the inside of his jacket. Wally's eyes lit up, but with excitement, not fear. Jake didn't seem to notice, and lashed out with the chain. Wally caught it in his left hand, not showing any signs of pain, and held it close to his eyes.

"Hmm, this looks pretty sturdy," Wally mused. Everyone in the bar stared in awe. He didn't even look like he had felt it. Without warning, Wally pulled back on the chain, sending Jake flying towards him. Just as Jake was about to crash into him, Wally leaned back and punched him square in the face. The biker flew back and landed on the ground, unconscious. Wally let the chain fall to the floor and stepped outside the bar. He heard some shouts coming from the back.

"Let's get that bastard!" cried a voice. Wally smiled. _I guess Jake's buddies want a piece of me too. _He waited patiently for them to arrive. He heard the roar of motorcycles and turned to find two bikers staring him down, ready to run him over.

"Well?" called Wally, "What are you waiting for?" The bikers roared and charged at him. Wally leapt into the air and kicked the biker on the left out of his seat. He grabbed onto the handlebars and swerved the motorcycle to the ground, letting the other biker pass him. The biker braked, and then turned around to face Wally. The aussie set the motorcycle up and smiled at the biker.

"Ready for a game of chicken?" asked Wally. The two charged at each other, both refusing to back down. Right before they were about to collide, Wally leapt out of his seat, landing nimbly on the ground. The biker wasn't so lucky, and crashed right into the motorcycle. Luckily, he was tossed from his seat before the motorcycles blew up. He landed on the ground with an earthy thud.

"Well, that takes care of that," said Wally, brushing himself off. He turned around to find Nigel, Abby, Kuki, and Hoagie staring at him from the opposite street. _Christ, they followed me all the way here? _thought Wally. _Damn, I'm gonna have to find a new hangout. _They continued staring at him, mouths hanging open. Wally leered at them, letting his gaze linger on his ex-girlfriend. _Hope you enjoyed the show. _

Wally spent that night tossing and turning in his bed. Every time he started to fall asleep, Kuki would keep popping into his head. He could see her soft almond eyes wide in fright, her lip trembling. _Damn it! Leave me alone! _He got out of his bed and started pacing around his room. _It's your own fault, Kuki, _he assured himself. _You left me. Don't expect me to care about what you think. You or anyone else. _He suddenly felt tired and went back to his bed. His head started to hurt. Damn alcohol was messing with his mind. He had stopped drinking and smoking for Kuki, but after their breakup, he saw no reason not to go back to his old habits. A crack of light shot at him through his blinds. _Damn. Sun's up already._

_

* * *

_"Wally, as cool as that fight was, you gotta stop, man. Your gonna hurt somebody," advised Hoagie. It was the end of P.E., and Hoagie had decided give Wally a locker room pep talk.

"What is this, Dr. Phil?" asked Wally, putting on his orange hoodie.

"Wally, I'm just trying to look after you. We all are."

"Right. Thanks a bunch. Hey," he whispered, "are we gonna have a mission anytime soon?"

"Probably not," replied Hoagie. Wally grunted in disappointment. He left the locker room even surlier than when he had arrived. _Ah well. At least it's break now. _He headed out into the quad and walked past some seniors that he despised.

"So she turned ya down, Zach?" asked a particularly ugly senior.

"Yeah. God, that Kuki Sanban is such a–"

Wally froze. Annoying ex-girlfriend or not, no way was he going to let an ass like that talk about Kuki that way.

"Maybe I should teach her some manners," suggested Zach, and his goons snickered in agreement.

"Hey, Zach!" he shouted. "You go anywhere near that girl ever again, I'm gonna rip your dick off!"

Zach and his goons turned in shock. They knew that Wally was a little upstart, but he had never talked to them like that. Actually, he never talked to them at all. Zach ran a hand over his smooth, shaved head and glared at Wally.

"Listen, you little sophomore shit, I do what I want, when I want. And if I want to teach that filthy Jap some manners–"

"You'll get the crap kicked out of you," growled Wally menacingly. He could feel his blood boiling. This senior had nearly a foot on him, but if he thought that was going to be an advantage, he had another thing coming. A crowd was forming around them, and kids started chanting the word "Fight!' over and over again.

"Come on, you little punk ass, you think you can take me on?" asked Zach, advancing towards Wally.

Oh, this was going to be fun. A little beneath him, but fun nonetheless. There were few things Wally liked better than putting a loud mouthed senior in his place.

Wally gave the senior a small grin. "Yeah, I'd say so, Zach." Before the big gorilla could even blink, Wally had laid him flat with a huge punch to the nose. The crowd surrounding them started cheering, and Zach's crew stared at him in shock. Wally smiled and gave a small bow.

"Real mature, Wally," said a voice behind him. Wally groaned. Of course. Just when things were going great, his ex-girlfriend Kuki had to put him through a guilt trip.

"You know, there are other ways to solve your problems!" she admonished. "Instead of punching a guy, you could just–" Kuki stopped suddenly, and stared over at the unconscious senior.

"Kuki, would ya just lay off?" pleaded Wally, not paying any attention. "For chrissakes, all I ever hear is–" Kuki ran past him and crouched down next to Zach.

"Somebody call an ambulance, now!" shouted Kuki. The crowd stared at her, stunned. "I said NOW!" A junior hastily pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911. Wally ran over to Zach, fear tugging at his heart. Zach's crew bolted, afraid that he was going to beat them up next.

"Kuki, what happened?" he asked, his face pale. He looked over at the senior, drenched in blood, his face disfigured.

"He's dying!" screamed a hysterical freshman.

"You hit him too hard, his face is mess. Wally, I think...I think you might've pushed his nose back against his brain." She pulled out her emergency kit out of her backpack and did what she could for him until the ambulance arrived. The crowd was gone now. Suddenly the fight wasn't so much fun. Kuki turned to Wally, a worried look on her face.

"Wally, you better get out of here before the ambulance comes. Don't worry, I was wrong, it's not as bad as I thought," she assured. She looked up and saw the principal running towards them. "About time he got here!"

Wally stared at her for a moment, and then ran, never looking back.

Wally had decided to once again seclude himself from everyone else. He locked himself in his room in the Treehouse, and refused to come out. He wouldn't even talk to his friends through the door. _I'm a danger to everyone, _he thought. _It's best this way. I just can't control myself . _Of course, Wally had forgotten just who his friends were, and how determined they could be.

"Wally, this is your last warning!" shouted Hoagie. "If you don't come out right now, we're blasting this door open. And I'm taking your porno mags too!"

Wally blushed. "Fine, fine, you cruddy traitor, I'm coming out." He trudged out of his room. Surprisingly, no one was out there waiting for him. _This is strange. I thought I was gonna get a pep talk. _

"Seize him!" shouted Nigel. Before Wally could so much as sneeze, his teammates sprung from their hiding places and tackled him.

"What the hell is this!" shouted Wally. "Get off of me!"

"Sorry, Wally," Nigel apologized, letting go of him and rising to his feet. "We just wanted to make sure you didn't run for it."

"Gee, thanks," grumbled Wally, brushing himself off.

"Wally, I think it's best that we talk about this," said Kuki.

"Yeah, Abby's tired of you moping around," added Abby.

"You need to chill out, Wally," advised Hoagie, lying flat on his back. He decided not to get up just yet. Furious, Wally leapt and jumped on his stomach. "Oof!" wheezed Hoagie.

"I liked it better when you were fat," mocked Wally, glaring at his once tubby friend. "I could bounce higher."

"Well, excuse me for discovering pilates!" exclaimed an angry Hoagie. Hoagie was indeed thinner now. He was also the tallest of them all, thanks to his recent growth spurt. His bulky aviator's cap was now replaced with a pair of yellow tinted sunglasses.

"Anyways, there's nothin' to talk about, now is there? I'm a monster, created by the most evil person to ever walk this planet. And that's that. End of discussion."

"It is NOT the end of discussion, Wallabee Beatles!" shouted Kuki. "Just because Father...altered you, doesn't mean you're not a good person! Crow's not a bad guy, is he? He even saved your life!"

"He also murdered countless people," Wally pointed out.

"That's only because Father made him! Well, for most of the murders, anyway. I think," added Kuki, a little unsure.

"Speaking of Crow, why don't you talk to him about it? I'm sure he's had to go through this. He had to learn to control his powers too," said Nigel.

"Yeah, except he aint exactly on speed dial, is he?" countered Wally.

"I can ask Cree. She sees him all the time," offered Abby.

"Don't bother. Look, you guys, you just don't understand. None of you do."

"What don't we understand?" asked Kuki angrily. "Wally, you're just bein' silly."

"I almost killed a man today!" roared Wally.

"That's why you need help!" argued Kuki. Wally sighed deeply and sat down on the couch. He covered his face with his hands, and remained still for what seemed like hours. The others continued to stare at him.

"Please, just leave me alone," said Wally's muffled voice. The others turned to leave, each going to their own rooms. Except for Kuki, who continued to stare at Wally. Finally she sat down on the couch next to him. The TV was on, and a news anchor was speaking.

"The Tears of Blood, the notorious terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of thousands, recently attempted to seize Cairo, Egypt. The president commented, saying–" Kuki turned the TV off.

"Wally, don't do this to yourself. I love you," she said softly, stroking his hair. He pushed her hand away.

"Is that why you left me?" he asked angrily, glaring at her.

"That's not fair. Our relationship was going downhill, and you know it. Instead of letting our friendship die with it, I chose to save it. And it's not like it took you long to find someone else."

"And now we're both single, and it seems like half of the school is chasing after you and the other half is chasing after me. It's a nightmare," he complained.

"Wally, do you even _want_ to get back together?" asked Kuki.

"No," he said quickly. "Not now, anyways."

"Neither do I. So let's stop arguing about this nonsense and talk about your real problem!" she begged.

Wally opened his mouth to argue when he was rudely interrupted by Cree, who's face was now projected on the display screen in the living room.

"Thank God I found you! Listen, you two, get the others, they all need to hear this!" ordered Cree.

Wally rose from his seat and eyed her suspiciously. "How were you able to contact us? No one's supposed to be able to transmit a message on that screen except for the KND."

"Dammit, there's no time for that now! Just hurry up and get the others!" Kuki nodded and dragged Wally with her to locate the others.

When they returned, Cree looked relieved and gave them a small smile. "Good, you're all here. Listen, we need your help."

"Who's we?" asked Abby. "Did you up and join the Black Panthers or sumthin' ?"

"We being me, Crow, and Chad. But that's not important right now. What's important is that we need you to meet us in Germany right now."

"Germany!" exclaimed Nigel. "We're not going to fly to Germany just because you asked us!"

"Yes, you are," said another voice. Cree moved aside for Crow, who was now the center of the screen. He was wearing an eye patch over his right eye, and it gave him an authoritative look. "For killing Father and striking a blow for the KND, I was awarded the highest honor that you bestow. I was told that the KND were indebted to me, and that if I ever needed their assistance, all I had to do was ask."

"That was five years ago!" argued Nigel. "And we got the same award! We _did_ help you, if you remember!"

"Nevertheless, the entire organization is in my debt. You are bound by KND law to aid me. I'll see you all in Berlin." He cut off the transmission and the screen went blank.

"Well, I always have wanted to visit Germany," said Hoagie, apparently unfazed by Crow's demands. "I hear they make great sausage." He left the others to go board the _Hawkshead. _ Wally joined him.

"So...so we're just going to leave?" asked Nigel, bewildered at having his power so easily wrested away from him.

"Guess so," mumbled Abby, leaving with Kuki. Nigel stared after them in disbelief, sighed, and followed them to the ship.

(A/N) Yes, the wily high school greaser from California, Mr. Arlington, is back again. Hope you liked the chapter. After getting a message from lovebird3000, I decided it was time to finally start. As always, please review, it keeps me going.


	2. Don't Trust Anything You See

Chapter 2: Don't Trust Anything You See"

After an hour and a half(and much grumbling from Nigel) the others finally made it to Germany. They hovered over Berlin, unsure of what to do. Then they received a message from Crow to meet them in a secluded pasture a few miles away. They landed at the pasture and went outside, looking in the sky for a trace of Crow's ship.

"Can't believe he just usurped my authority like that," Nigel muttered for the thousandth time.

"Hey, look at that!" shouted Abby. She was pointing at a large black cruiser that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "How the heck did that get here!"

"That's Crow's ship," realized Hoagie. "Whoa, it must have a cloaking device! Cool!"

The hatch of the ship opened, and Crow, Cree, and Chad stepped outside, waving at them. "C'mon inside!" called Cree. The teens looked uneasily at each other and then followed them inside. The craft took off after they entered, apparently on autopilot.

"Haven't been in here for a while," remarked Hoagie, glancing around the ship and the various gadgets and gizmos. The interior was entirely made of metal, and a little bland, but it was still pretty impressive. There were various 3-D display screens popping out of thin air, seemingly at random, some showing battle strategies, maps, and some showing nothing at all. The cockpit had the most advanced radar and controls Hoagie had ever seen, and he longed to pilot this beautiful ship.

"Welcome back to the Deadwind," said Crow. Crow was wearing a long black hooded robe(think Organization XIII from Kingdom Hearts)and had a long, black leather glove over his left arm, covering up the robotic arm that Father had bestowed upon him. Cree and Chad were wearing black trench coats, looking like they had popped straight out of the Matrix.

"So, what's this about, Crow?" demanded Nigel. "I hope we didn't travel half way around the world for nothing."

"Take it easy, Nigel. I'm sorry I had to force you to come here, but we need help for this mission, and you guys are the only people we trust," explained Crow. Nigel gawked. _The only people he trusts? _Embarrassed, he took off his sunglasses and started wiping them on his red shirt.

"Erm, continue, Crow," said Nigel, rubbing furiously.

"Where to begin? Well, for starters, Chad, Cree and myself are part of The Tears of Blood," said Crow.

"You're what!" shouted Abby, looking furiously at Cree. "But... but you guys have been all over the news! You're the ones who have been causing all this chaos all over the globe. You guys are terrorists! The president said so!"

"Yeah, well, the president likes to exaggerate things," dismissed Cree.

"But you guys are murderers!" Abby cried.

"No, we're not. What you hear on TV is a bunch of bull. The president is lying to cover his ass. He's the one that's been massacring people, not us," said Chad.

"We have the videos to prove it. We can show you exactly what's happened. Did you hear about the incident in Cairo?" asked Crow.

"Yeah, we heard about that. Fifty people were killed," shuddered Kuki.

"No, ten people were killed, and not by us." Crow snapped his fingers and a display appeared. "This is a recording of the attack in Cairo." The display began showing a video of American soldiers attacking the city. Tanks were charging through, blowing apart buildings. The citizens were screaming and trying to flee. Then three dark figures leapt into the fray. One began firing gatling guns at the treads of the tanks. Another launched into the soldiers, wielding a long double sided trident, swiftly dodging the oncoming bullets. The third figure leapt into the air, but instead of coming down, merely hovered there. Then he shot bursts of dark flame at the tanks, tearing them apart.

"Holy crud, that's you guys!" exclaimed Wally. "But then that means..._America_ tried to seize Cairo?"

"Yep. Good thing we got there in time. You see, America's been trying to create an empire. They want hegemony over other countries, because certain military bastards believe the world is better off under American rule," explained Crow.

"But that means the president's been lying to us," whispered Nigel. "Everything he's said is a lie."

"Well, not everything. Just almost everything," assured Cree. "And America's not the only one trying to take over. China's been trying to conquer Asia for the last five years. It's all been a mess. And we're the ones that have to stop these psychos."

"The Tears of Blood aren't terrorists. They're peacekeepers. That's our duty," said Crow. "We were going to release these videos to the public, until this new problem came along."

"Which is?" queried Nigel.

"A madman somehow seized a bunch of nuclear warheads. Now he's threatening to launch them. If he does, he starts World War 3. He's currently hiding out in a mansion in Germany. This is why we need you. We can't tackle this guy alone," sighed Chad.

"But can't you guys just call in some of your Tears of Blood teammates? There must be thousands of you guys," pointed out Abby.

"Actually...there's just us three," said Cree, embarrassed.

"Just you three?" asked Nigel, incredulous. "You're telling me that all those times that you went out to stop America and China and god knows who else from taking over the world, it was just you three?"

"We do a lot of traveling," said Chad.

"But that's amazing!" exclaimed Kuki.

"Unfortunately, three people isn't enough to take this guy down. We need all the help we can get. Who knows what he has inside that mansion?" wondered Crow.

"Hey, this is starting to sound kind of fun!" said Wally. "Man, this is so bloody awesome. I wish I could do something this cool for a living."

"Really?" asked Cree.

"Well, yeah! I've always dreamed of doing something like this for a living! Crud, I don't want some boring desk job when I grow up."

"It would be good to do something useful when we grow up," mused Abby.

"And traveling all over the world! That must be amazing!" said Kuki.

"Wow, you know, I never thought anybody else would want to join the Tears of Blood," said Cree, strangely enthusiastic.

"And no one will, because membership is limited to three people," said Crow, killing the mood. "By the way, Chad, Cree, there's something I need to talk to you guys about. Alone," he added, seeing the looks on the teens faces. Cree and Chad followed him to the other side of the ship, and entered another room. Crow shut the door with a slam.

"Only three people? That's lame," said Hoagie. "It sounded so cool. So much for that idea."

"Aw, forget what he said. I bet we could convince him to let us join. I mean, he's seen us in battle, and he said it himself, we're the only one's he trusts," argued Wally.

"It _does _sound like something I've always wanted," admitted Nigel, contemplating the idea.

Meanwhile, a heated argument was going on between Crow and Cree.

"They're too young, Cree. Too innocent. They haven't had a demon tear at their soul, they haven't experienced pain like we have."

"Wally has. You know it."

"And Wally's the only one! The others don't have what it takes. They aren't strong enough to deal with the pain. They haven't shed tears of blood."

"Not yet, anyway," replied Cree darkly. "This mission might change that."

Crow rolled his eyes. "They aren't ready, Cree, and I doubt they ever will be. We've experienced such sorrow before that the trials we go through now barely even register. But _they_ haven't. We can't put them through this until they're able to deal with it." He paused and turned to Chad. "Chad, you're a cofounder, what do you think?"

Chad had been leaning against the door, his head down and his eyes shut. He opened his eyes sighed. "I can tell that they're jumping with joy to join us, but that probably proves more than anything else that they're not ready." Cree made a small noise of protest, but Chad lifted a hand. "However, if I was going to recommend anyone to join us, it would be them. These kids are amazing, Crow. You know that."

"Of course I do. But you said it yourself, they're not ready. So until we can safely conclude that they are, we won't do anything. Agreed?" Chad nodded his approval, while Cree merely sighed.

"All right, then. We're about to reach the mansion. Let's get this done right," said Crow. He walked out of the room, avoiding Cree's glare. He strolled up to the cockpit and flipped a switch, turning on the cloaking device. "Okay, here's the plan, guys. We're invisible right now, and this thing can't be detected by radar, so we should be fine. We're going to cruise up to the mansion and see if we can find a way in. Stealth is the key here, we can't let him know we're here."

**_Silly boy, I already know you're here_**, someone chuckled. Crow and the others froze. None of them had spoken. And the voice they heard...it wasn't something spoken aloud. They heard it through their own minds. Crow immediately raised a finger to his lips, motioning them to be quiet.

**_Now, really, as if that's going to make any difference. Come now, Crow, I thought you were supposed to be bright_**, scolded the voice. Crow's eyes widened in shock.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" asked Wally.

_Oh, please. Pitiful, simply pitiful_, the voice admonished.

"The guy we're after...he must be a telepath," said Cree.

**_You know, that should have been quite obvious from the start tittered the voice. I'm really starting to worry about your intelligence. Don't you have schools in America?_**

"How did you know we're from Ameri–mph!" said Kuki, who's voice was now being muffled by Crow's gloved hand.

"Don't say anything!" he hissed. "Don't _think_ anything! Leave your mind blank!"

**_You'll find that very hard to accomplish, Crow. I doubt any of you ever learned how to properly guard your minds against a telepath._**

"Wait a minute, this guy has a British accent!" said Chad, ignoring Crow's orders.

"You're point being?" asked Nigel, a little offended.

"The guy we're chasing after is German!" he explained.

**_Ah, a no-prize for the young lad! Yes, I'm afraid dear Himmler was under my control all along. The fool actually thought he could use me. But the warheads are still here, and I'm planning on launching them very soon. Unless, of course, you play a little game with me. Then I might wait a little longer._**

"What kind of game?" asked Crow.

**_Just come into my mansion. I'll be waiting._**

Everyone stared at each other blankly. For a long time, no one spoke. Kuki broke the silence.

"Well, a game sounds kind of fun!" she piped. Crow turned to Cree and scowled. _This is going to be part of the Tears of Blood? _He moved to the cockpit and pressed a button, and the _Deadwind_ began to land.

"I doubt it's going to be much fun, Kuki," informed Nigel.

"Maybe this guy is just lonely and depressed. He probably hijacked these warheads just to get some attention. Why else would he want us to play a game with him?" she asked

"Because he's probably a sadist who's going to toy with us before killing us off," Wally retorted. "But hey, give it a try, Kuki. Give him a Rainbow Monkey to play with. I'm sure he'll be all hugs and kisses then."

"Why is it that you always have to assume the worst in everyone!" snapped Kuki.

"Why is it that you always have to be a naive fool about everything?" he taunted.

"Enough!" shouted Crow. "Everyone, be quiet and keep your minds blank. Otherwise he might find out everything about you, your fears, your weaknesses, everything!" Everyone gulped a little at this. There were some secrets they definitely didn't want to be revealed.

"We can't form a battle plan that way!" countered Cree.

"Better to go in without a plan than to have him use it against us," Chad pointed out.

Cree didn't have anything to argue back with, so she remained silent. Crow opened a drawer filled with handguns, and motioned for everybody to take one. All of the teens were a little nervous about this, except for Wally, who had used a handgun before. Th_e Deadwind_ finally landed, and they stepped outside, trying their hardest not to think about anything. Of course, they were failing miserably, but at least they were trying.

_Don't think about Kuki. Don't think about Kuki, _Wally chanted. _Wait a minute, I'm already doing it! God damn it!_

The mansion was old and decrepit, nothing like Father's glorious mansion. In fact, it looked more like a haunted house. A really huge haunted house. The paint had been peeled off long ago, and it was now just a miserable gray color. The windows were dusty and impossible to see through. And the grass around the mansion was brown and dead. A shudder went through Crow. _Just when I think I've put the past behind me, it comes back to bite me in the ass. No! Stop thinking, Crow. Just relax._

The large double doors of the mansion opened all by themselves. No one moved. After a moment, Crow walked up the porch and stopped at the doors. "Remember," he said, turning back to look at them, "don't trust anything you see."

(A/N) I'm taking a risk with uploading this chapter; I'm still not sure how this story is going to go. Oh well, the universe favors the bold. Anyways, what do you guys think? I'd love to hear some input.


	3. In Over Our Heads

Chapter 3: In Over Our Heads

Crow's words hung in the air, and while they were probably intended to comfort everyone, they did the exact opposite, especially for Abby. The reason that Abby had always been so successful was that she only paid attention to fact, using logic to get her out of problems, never letting her emotions take over. Now she couldn't trust the things she relied on the most, her own two eyes?

The others followed Crow into the mansion. The first thing they noticed was that it was covered in dust. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years, if not decades. There were cobwebs in every corner, cluttered with dead spiders. The next thing they noticed was the ceiling. Chad noticed it first, and signalled to the others to look up. The ceiling had actually been painted. It was a gruesome, gothic painting of several people being tortured to death. Everyone shivered except for the Tears of Blood. Either they were hiding their fear, or they had gotten used to things like this.

**_So you decided to come after all. Wonderful_**, said the eerie voice. A tall, thin man came out of nowhere, a smile on his face. He looked thirtyish, very handsome, with waist length platinum blonde hair and vivid blue eyes. He was dressed like royalty; he was even wearing a long red cape.

"What do you want us to do?" asked Crow.

**_I want to see how long you can last in this mansion before you die,_** he replied. He hadn't moved his lips at all, save for the eerie smile he gave them.

"Well, so much for playing Rainbow Monkies," said Hoagie. "

_**Here are the rules. In one hour, I will launch these warheads and cause destruction like you have never seen. Unless, of course, you can kill me first.**_

Chad whipped out his magnum and shot the man in the head. The bullet passed through him like he was a ghost. There was no sign of a wound on his forehead. The man raised his eyebrows in surprise, and then smiled again.

"Well, figured it was worth a try," sighed Chad, placing the gun back inside his pocket.

"Like I said, don't trust anything you see," repeated Crow. "This guy's messing with our heads. He's an illusionist. Nothing more than a cheap magician."

**_A cheap magician?_** asked the man, indignant. **_I'm Lord Alcarin. I am the greatest sorceror this world has ever seen. And as for illusions...well, don't be so sure that everything is an illusion, Crow_**. He waved his hand, and the sound of barking filled the room. It sounded like a mad dog was on its way. Everyone tensed up except for Crow and Wally. Crow was convinced it was an illusion, and Wally was sure he could beat up anything this Lord Alcarin threw at him.

"Yep, you've got me terrified now," mocked Crow. The barking grew louder, and a giant dog the size of a grizzly bear burst into the room, barking and snapping its jaws. It's grey skin clung tightly to it's bones, and there looked like their was no flesh between the two, like someone wrapped skin around a skeleton. Everyone drew their handguns, even Kuki, who was trembling.

"I've got this one," said Crow, standing face to face with the dog.

**_This is one of my hellhounds, Howler_**, explained Alcarin.

Crow simply glared at the slobbering, snapping dog. Then the dog leapt at him, pinning him to the ground, digging it's claws into his shoulders. Shit! This isn't an illusion! thought Crow. And that feeling of terror that he hated so much rushed back into him, mocking him for his cockiness. The hellhound reared it's head back and prepared to bite his head off. Crow extended the claws in his left hand and stabbed the dog in the throat. It fell onto the ground, howling. Crow got to his knees and poured black flame on the dog, until it was nothing more than ashes.

**_Still think I'm an illusionist?_** asked Lord Alcarin, staring at Crow from behind. The others were also staring, wondering what the hell had happened. He shakily rose to his feet and turned around. His face was a mixture of fury and fear, and he was shivering.That thing...it nearly killed me. Blood was oozing from his shoulders, staining his coat. The others saw his fear, and grew frightened as well, for this was the first time they had ever seen Crow truly afraid.

"I'm going to kill you," spat Crow, the fury on his face overcoming his fear. "I'm going to burn you alive." Without warning, he hurled a fireball at Alcarin. The flame passed through him and hit the wall, catching it on fire. Alcarin looked at him impassively.

"And I'm going to enjoy every minute of it," continued Crow, his voice barely above a whisper.

**_Well, we shall see, won't we? _**asked Alcarin. **_Anyway, I think I should make this hunt a little more interesting. It's no good having you all clumped together like this. Let's divide you into pairs, shall we?_** He snapped his fingers and dark orbs engulfed Crow and Cree, and a moment later they were gone.

"Cree! What did you do to her her!"Abby shouted, turning on Alcarin. He chuckled at her, and again his lips remained still. He snapped his fingers and dark orbs consumed Abby and Hoagie.

**_You people should learn to relax,_** he soothed. Two more snaps of his fingers, and Nigel and Chad, as well as Wally and Kuki, disappeared.

"What happened?" asked Cree, groggily. She shook her head to clear herself, and noticed she was in a dimly lit sewer. She saw Crow striding ahead of her. "Hey, hey Crow!" she called, running up to him. "Crow, what happened? Where are we?"

"I don't know," he replied, not looking at her. That same look of rage was on his face. He stared straight ahead, hoping for some sign of Alcarin. This guy's for real. I could feel that dog of his tearing into me. We're in way over our heads. His thoughts were interrupted by Cree, who apparently had been trying to get his attention.

"Hello, earth to Crow! I said, we've got to find the others. We don't stand a chance against this guy if we're alone," said Cree.

"No. If he separated us, that means he doesn't want us together, and there's nothing we can do to change that. Now shut up, I'm trying to think."

"Don't tell me to shut up!" retorted Cree, hurt. "Just who the hell do you think you are!" she shouted.

"Dammit, I don't have time for this," he muttered. "Leave me alone." He started walking faster.

"Hey!" She grabbed his shoulder and wrenched him back to face her. "What's the matter with you! One minute we're fine, and now you're being an ass and treating me like crap!"

"Will you just shut the fuck up!" he screamed. "Don't you get it! We're in over our heads, Cree! This guy's unstoppable! I dragged in some fucking toddlers to help us out, and now they're all going to die!" He collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. "I've killed them all," he whispered. And to Cree's shock, tears poured from his eyes. Had she ever seen Crow cry before? If so, she couldn't remember it.

"I've killed them. It's all my fault. They're going to die because of me."


	4. I Can Ease Your Pain

Chapter 4: "I Can Ease Your Pain"

"Well, _this _ isn't what I expected."

Abby and Hoagie were stuck inside a dungeon. The place was made entirely out of stone, with iron bars guarding the cells. There were ages old skeletons in the cells, some of them still clinging to the bars.

"This place keeps getting creepier," murmured Abby. So much for Crow's "Don't trust anything you see" crap. Well, that was some relief. At least she could trust her eyes again. Unfortunately, she didn't like anything her eyes were seeing.

"Abby, how did we get teleported here? Do you think we're dealing with a real wizard?" asked Hoagie.

"I don't know, Hoagie. I never believed in magic, but then again, Crow really was hurt by that thing. And I saw him burning it, there was nothing left but ashes. If it had been a robot, I would've been able to see the metal."

"Then we really are fighting a sorcerer," whimpered Hoagie.

"You've got that right, laddie." Abby and Hoagie jumped a foot in the air. One of the skeletons had started talking to them, it's jaw moving creakily up and down.

"It's talking," choked Abby.

"Aye, it's talking, lass," sighed the skeleton. It didn't sound threatening or scary, just weary. It's head was propped up against the back of the cell, and he raised a hand to greet them. "The name's McGregor. A'hm one o' the cursed."

"Cursed?" asked Hoagie, trying not to piss himself.

"Yes. I defied Alcarin way back when. We all did. So he left us here to rot. And rot we did, lad. He kept us alive all this time. The others went insane. Lost their minds. They don't even speak no more, don' even scream and groan like they used to. Me, I'm the only one that's got a shred of sanity left, and I'm losin' it fast. You can't last long when you got no one to talk to."

"You've got to help us!" pleaded Hoagie. "We need to get out of here and find the others. How do you get out of here?"

"Wouldn't know, lad. I've never been out of this cell," he replied.

"Come on, you came through here once! Don't you remember the way you came in?" asked Abby.

"Lass, that's been years and years..."

"Please!" she begged.

The skeleton sighed again, and tilted it's head back, as if it was falling asleep. Then he leaned forward and got to his feet. He walked over to the bars and clutched them tightly. "Go straight till ya come to the seventh door to yer left. Then...then take the third door on yer right, and keep goin' till you see a statue of Alcarin. Take the door opposite the statue." He collapsed, weakened from the conversation.

"Thanks, McGregor," said Hoagie, kneeling down.

"Lad...lad, take me hand. Take it," urged McGregor. Hoagie stared apprehensively at the skeleton. Take his hand? _His_ hand?

"Please," pleaded the skeleton. Hoagie grasped it, and held on gently. _Good god, this is creepy, _he thought to himself.

"Promise me you'll kill him. It might stop this curse. Promise me, Hoagie." Hoagie gulped. "Promise, lad!"

"I promise," Hoagie whispered. The skeleton muttered his thanks and then collapsed to the floor. It looked like he wasn't going to say anything for a long time. Abby placed a hand on Hoagie's shoulder.

"Let's go, Hoagie. There's nothing we can do for him here."

* * *

"What the bloody hell is this?" asked Wally. He and Kuki were transported before they could even blink. Now they were in some other part of the mansion, a family room of sorts. There were large portraits on the walls, portraits of people that looked related to Alcarin. But there faces were horribly disfigured in some areas. One had his nose cut in half, another had a missing jaw, and another had spikes driven through her head. 

"Wally, I'm scared," whispered Kuki. Instinctively, she grabbed his hand. Wally stiffened. _Forget it, Wally. She doesn't love you. Just forget abou–dammit, I'm doing it again! _He couldn't help it. He loved her so much. She had matured so beautifully, and yet she was still the same kind hearted Kuki he knew from the beginning. How could he not love her?

"It's okay, Kooks," he assured. _Wow. Been awhile since I called her that._

"That Lord Alcarin, do you think he's magic?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Yeah. I do," he replied, staring at the ground.

"So what are we going to do?" she asked, frightened.

"We've got to find him. Or the others. Whichever we run into first." He walked out of the room and Kuki followed, clutching his hand. They entered a corridor.

"Right or left?" murmured Wally. He heard a scream coming from the right of him. "Never mind!" He ran to the right as fast as he could, leaving Kuki in the dust. She caught up to him.

"Who is it?" asked Kuki, panting.

"Sounded like Hoagie. Come on, let's hurry!" he urged. They approached a large wooden door engraved with a dragon, and heard screams coming from the other end. Wally shoulder charged it and burst through the door, falling on the ground. Kuki leapt over him and landed nimbly on her feet. She looked up and gasped. Wally picked himself up from the floor and looked where Kuki was gazing. He gasped too.

"Oh, god," he whispered. The first thing he noticed was that it wasn't Hoagie. The second thing he noticed was that the man doing the screaming was covered in blood, his flesh had been slashed in several places, and his ribs were showing. He was chained to a chair.

"Help me," pleaded the man in a thick german accent. "Please..." Kuki and Wally couldn't even move. The sight was just too horrible.

"He's killing me. Torturing me to death," croaked the man. "Himmler...Himmler, you're a fool for trusting him."

"You're the one that brought him those warheads," shuddered Kuki. She couldn't even cry. She was too stunned to really feel anything.

"He promised me power. Promised me a life. He lied," he added stupidly. He spat up some blood and his eyes rolled back. Every breath he took spilled more blood.

"Go. Go and stop him. He'll destroy everything if you don't." He coughed again and almost passed out. Tears were pouring from his eyes. "Leave me. I deserve to die."

"No, we can help you!" cried Kuki.

"I am dying, Frauelein. Only death can save me from this torture," he whispered. Wally grabbed Kuki by the arm and lead her out of the room.

"No, stop!" cried the man, changing his mind. "Please! I don't want to die alone." They stopped, unsure of what to do. _No one should have to die alone. _Wally pulled out his handgun and pointed it at Himmler.

"I can ease your pain," he said quietly. Himmler looked up with gratitude in his eyes.

"I thank you."

"Wally, no!" shouted Kuki. Wally grabbed her and pressed her face against his chest so she wouldn't see. He fired the gun at Himmler's head, and he died with that look of gratitude on his face.

Nigel and Chad were stuck in a damp, dark cave. Nigel had already tripped over three stalagmites, and was very, very pissed.

"Damn it!" he shouted, kicking the stalagmite he had just tripped over. Oops, bad move. He started hopping up and down on one foot while letting loose a stream of curses.

"Arrgh, I hate this place!" he shouted.

"Calm down, kid," said Chad.

"Don't order me around, you traitor!" grumbled Nigel.

"You still call me that, after all we've been through?" asked Chad. "Did you forget about what happened in Australia and Father's mansion?"

Nigel stiffened. "Sorry," he apologized. "It's just...grudges are had to break, sometimes."

"I know what you mean," said Chad, nodding. "But you've got to learn to let things go, sometimes. I wish I had," he said with sigh.

"Erm," mumbled Nigel. Chad had suddenly become somber. What was he talking about? "You know, you used to be my hero, Chad, back in the KND. We all admired you. We still do, come to think of it. Whether we want to admit it or not."

Chad laughed bitterly. "Some hero. You never admired _me, _Nigel. You admired Numbuh 274, not Chad Dickinson. You loved me as an ideal, not a real person. I don't blame you. Everyone treated me that way, even my parents. And why not? What's the real Chad Dickinson worth anyway?"

Nigel stopped walking. "What are you talking about?" asked Nigel, dumbfounded. "We admired Chad Dickinson just as much as Numbuh 274."

"No you didn't. It's like I said. You loved the Chad that you thought you knew. The Chad everyone made me out to be. No one ever bothered to know the real me. Not my jackass football friends, my bumbling teachers, or my mom and dad. But like I said, I don't blame them."

"And why is that? Is it because you were afraid to show them who you really were? Perhaps you were afraid of the real Chad Dickinson yourself."

Chad gave him a wry smile. "That's it. Part of it, anyway. I hated being on everyone's pedestal, but I was too afraid to take myself off of it. Couldn't handle being a failure. But not anymore. I'm not a pedestal boy anymore. And life couldn't be better."

"Even in a chilly, pitch black cave?" asked Nigel.

"Especially," Chad replied. He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and illuminated the cave.

"Why didn't you pull that out earlier!" shouted Nigel.

"Because it was much more fun to see you stumble in the dark. See how much fun not being on a pedestal is?" smiled Chad.

"Oh, it's a barrel of laughs," muttered Nigel. They continued walking through the cave in silence. Now that they had a flashlight, Nigel was tripping over far fewer stalagmites.

"I know what you mean about pedestals, Chad," said Nigel. "Everyone expects me to be the leader and to keep my cool, but after a while, I just kind of..."

"Lose it?" finished Chad.

"Yeah. But I need the team. If I didn't have it, I'd probably go crazy. I don't know what I'd do if I just lost control."

"One day you'll learn there are more important things in life than being perfect. Of course, it's up to you to find them, if you can," advised Chad.

* * *

"We only have one shot at this, Cree. So let's make it work." Crow had recovered rather quickly, and was now taking command again. 

"And that would be?" asked Cree, struggling to keep up with Crow's fast strides.

"First, we get everyone out of the mansion. I'm taking this guy on alone, like I should have from the very beginning."

"Like hell you are," snorted Cree. "We'll get the kids out, but Chad and I are with you all the way."

"Cree, this is all my fault, it's up to me to–"

"We took an oath, Crow. Ain't gonna back out of it now."

Crow nodded and sighed. "Not like I could stop you two anyway."

"So then what? Are we just going to find the bastard and kill him?" asked Cree.

"Yep, it looks that way," he replied. "I just have to get to him before he launches the warheads." They were getting closer to the end of the sewer now. They saw some stairs that looked like they led to the mansion.

"That's convenient," said Cree, puzzled. "You sure you're all right with this, Crow?"

"Yeah. I think it's time The Reaper made his return. It's been five years, after all. He had to come back some time."

(A/N) Sorry this took so long. I was...on a cruise. I know that's not much of an excuse, but internet access there was 50 cents a minute, and no way was I payin that. To make up for it, I've got another chapter coming soon. Oh, and it looks like I lied about the story being short and not actioney. Oh well.


	5. I Guess We're Both Pretty Stupid

Chapter 5: "I Guess We're Both Pretty Stupid"

"Well, at least we're finally outta the dungeons," said Abby. They were now in one of the hallways of the mansion. The floor was covered in a musty red carpet, and the halls were decorated with disturbing paintings and dusty suits of armor. "Though this place is giving me the creeps too. Pretty weird, huh Hoagie. Hoagie?" Hoagie had stopped a few feet behind Abby. He was panting heavily, and had turned even paler than what he normally was.

"Are you all right?" asked Abby.

"MacGregor will stay a skeleton forever if I don't kill him. I...I have to kill him now. I have to. I promised," squeaked Hoagie. "Abby...Abby, I don't think I can do this. I'm afraid."

"Hoagie, you don't have to–"

"Yes. Yes, encourage the coward. Encourage him to live in fear." Hoagie and Abby turned to see Alcarin standing before them, in front of a pair of large double doors. This time, his mouth was moving, and normal sound came out of it.

"Alcarin," muttered Abby distastefully.

"You pathetic worm. You don't have the courage to kill me. You don't have the courage to do _anything_," he continued. "Just like your father."

"Shut up," whispered Hoagie, trembling. "You don't know anything about my dad."

"I certainly do. He was a mongrel too weak to care for himself. He died a coward's death, just as you will, Hoagie." Alcarin smiled. "I wonder, will you scream like your father did? It won't be quite as much fun if you don't."

"Hoagie, don't listen to him," cautioned Abby.

"Just shut up about my dad!" shouted Hoagie, tears streaming down his face. "You're lying! He was brave! He was a hero!"

"He died by my own hands. Trust me, worm. He did not die a hero," taunted Alcarin.

"You killed him?" asked Hoagie, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You don't kill vermin, Hoagie. You exterminate them. Vermin don't really die, because they never had a life to begin with."

Hoagie choked. His hands shook, and there was a gleam in his eye of all the fury and rage he had ever felt. He couldn't even think. The anger flowing through him shut off his mind.

"Hoagie, don't do anything," pleaded Abby.

"Silly girl. Your little boyfriend couldn't even kill a–"

A shot rang through the hall. Alcarin's widened his eyes in shock, and gurgled Hoagie was breathing heavily, and the hand holding his gun was shaking like mad. His sunglasses had fallen on the floor, and blood red tears were streaming from his hazel eyes.

"Don't tell me what I can't do," growled Hoagie. He sounded more beast than human. Alcarin grimaced at him and clutched the bullet hole at his gut.

"Didn't see that one coming," he groaned. With the speed of a vampire, Alcarin flew towards Hoagie, pulled a long knife out of his pocket, and stabbed him in the chest. "Though it's not as if it matters."

"Hoagie!" screamed three voices at once. Kuki and Wally had just arrived, and joined Abby in her scream.

Hoagie leaned his head back and gave a little smile. "H-hi, guys." A trickle of blood ran down his chin. "Don't miss me too much." Alcarin pulled out the knife; Hoagie's eyes twitched and then rolled back into their sockets. He collapsed on Alcarin's shoulder.

Wally whipped out his gun and was about to fire at Alcarin when the sorcerer grabbed Abby by the throat and held her in front of him. "I don't think so, lad," he smirked. "One down." He dashed over to the double doors and somehow ghosted through them, taking Hoagie and Abby with him. "Don't follow me, or I'll launch the warheads," he ordered, craning his head back.

"This can't be," whispered Kuki, disbelief on her face.

For a moment, Wally stood completely still, as if he was still comprehending what had just happened. Then the sweet anger he had known all his life surged inside him, greater than it ever had before. "He's dead."

Wally strode towards the double doors, gun raised high. "Wally, you can't!" shouted Kuki, pulling at the sleeve of his orange hoodie. "You heard what he said, he'll launch the warheads!"

"Hoagie's dead, you stupid bitch!" screamed Wally, hysterical. "Get the hell off of me! I'm going to kill that bastard and send him straight to hell!"

Kuki had never seen Wally this deranged in her entire life. She was afraid he was going to kill her. But that wasn't going to stop her. "No! You already killed Himmler, and I'm not going to let you kill anyone else!"

"Just SHUT UP! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I know that you're a filthy murderer! How many more people do you plan on killing? Am I next?"

Wally's anger was replaced by shock. He felt a mixture of shame and confusion. But his fury returned quickly, and his face turned demonic. "The only thing I care about is killing him," he snarled. Wally could hear footsteps pounding from a short distance away. He ignored them. He started walking to the door and drew his gun.

"Stop right there, Wally!" shouted Kuki. She pulled out the handgun Crow had given her and held it in her quivering hands, pointing it right at Wally. "Stop, or I'll shoot!"

Wally turned and scoffed. "You don't have the strength to pull that trigger." He continued walking towards the door.

"I said stop!" screamed Kuki, now just as hysterical as Wally. The tears were pouring faster now, and she could hardly see. Her hand's kept shaking, her aim was all over the place.

"I'm going to count to three!"

Wally ignored her and kept moving.

"One!"

He was much closer now, just a few feet from the doors.

"Two!"

His hand reached towards a doorknob.

"Three!"

The gun fired. Both of them stood still, and for a while, the only sound was Kuki's heavy breathing and the sounds of footsteps coming ever closer. Then Wally collapsed on his back, blood pouring from his heart.

"Oh no," whispered Kuki. "Wally?" she asked softly. "Wally?" She dropped the gun and ran to him. She knelt at him and clutched his shoulders, ignoring the blood staining her hands.

"Wally, Wally, get up! Wake up, Wally!" she screamed.

"H-hey, Kooks," he smiled weakly. "Wot's with all the shoutin'?"

"Wally, don't die! Please, don't die!"

"I think it's a little late for that, Kuki." He coughed a little and spat up some blood. "You're so strong. I'd have never thought you could do that. You're amazing."

"No! No, I shouldn't have done that, Wally, I'm so sorry, please, don't die. I won't let you!" she cried.

"Kuki, I love you. More than anything else. Sorry I was such an idiot. Don't blame you for leaving me. Try to forgive me," he croaked.

"It's all my fault," she whispered. "Wally, I love you too. I never wanted to leave you, I was such an idiot. You can't die on me, Wally. You're the only person I'll ever love."

"I guess we're both pretty stupid, then," he chuckled. "Sorry, Kooks, but I really think this is the end. Thanks for stayin' by me. No one should have to die alone."

"Wally," sobbed Kuki. Tears of blood trailed down her cheeks and fell upon Wally's face.

"So these are the tears of blood," said Wally, his lips curved in a small smile. Kuki clutched him a little bit tighter, and let out a small sob as she felt him die.

(A/N) And the body count's just started.


	6. I Think It's Time We End This Game

Chapter 6: "I Think It's Time We End This Game"

The footsteps had stopped now, and Kuki could feel several people standing behind her and the corpse of her lover.

"No. No, this can't be," whispered someone behind her. The person approached and knelt down next to her. The man's long black hair hid the look of shock on his face. He rested a hand on Wally's muscular chest. Wally had gotten so much bigger since the last time Crow had seen him.

Kuki turned around to see Chad, Cree, and Nigel staring at them. "Alcarin's killed Hoagie," choked Kuki. "And he's taken Abby with him, I don't know what happened to her." She started sobbing again.

"He killed him. Alcarin killed Wally," said a toneless Nigel. He stared at Wally's body with a look of disbelief on her face.

_No! _thought Kuki. She tried to tell him what happened but she couldn't get the words through. It came out as a jumbled mess.

"He was the closest thing I had to a brother," whispered Crow. "I looked after him. Kept him safe. He...he was the first person I ever loved." Crow emitted a noise that sounded like a mix of a sob and a wracking cough. "And now he's dead, because I couldn't protect him."

"It's all m-m-my fault," whimpered Kuki. "It's because of me."

"We need to find Abby! Crow, we have to move, we can't let my sister die!" shouted a hysterical Cree.

"I–I can't let this happen!" shouted Nigel. "I won't let it! Wally, get up!" He walked over to Wally and pushed Crow roughly aside. "As your leader I order you to get up! Your mission is not over yet. Get up, that's an order!"

"Nigel," said Chad softly. Wally hadn't moved at all. He still had that same peaceful smile on his bloody face. It was as if he was just dreaming the day away.

"I said get up!" shouted Nigel, furious. "GET UP, GOD DAMN IT!" He kicked Wally viciously in the ribs. Crow pinned Nigel to the wall, and Nigel glared back furiously, as if he was about to scream. Instead he broke into tears. Crow let go of him and Nigel slid down the wall, sitting crookedly against the wall. He grabbed his sunglasses and flung them away, showing the crimson tears flowing from his eyes.

"I trusted you, you son of a bitch!" he shouted. "I trusted all of you! And you failed, you lost, we lost! You weren't supposed to die! You can't die, you fucking coward!"

"Nigel, get a hold of yourself!" commanded Chad. There was a steely glint in his eyes, and he no longer gazed sympathetically at Nigel's pathetic form.

"We failed," Nigel wept bitterly. "I failed." Everything had fallen apart. Wally and Hoagie were dead. Kuki had lost her nerve. Abby was in the clutches of a psychopath. And it looked like the whole world would be torn apart by this madman. Nigel finally realized something. They had failed. And they would all die for their failure.

"You can come in now," said Alcarin's sinister voice. "I'm waiting."

"Crow, we have to hurry. We need to save my sister. Crow, come on!" urged Cree. Crow had resumed kneeling next to Wally's still form. His head was bowed, and his dark hair hid his face. Black flames slowly started to flow from Crow's body, gently at first, and then stronger and stronger. Crow drew in a deep breath. Then he roared and stood at his feel, the black fire erupting from him. The room shook from it. He felt a hatred that he had never known in his entire life. And it felt so good. The dark flames consumed his form, and for a moment the others couldn't even see him. The flames disappeared suddenly, and Crow stood wielding a long scythe.

"Well, you did one thing right, Father," Crow laughed quietly. "You made the greatest killer this world has ever seen." He summoned the black fire again and turned to face the doors. He rose into the air and hovered above the ground.

"And I couldn't be happier."

He let out a scream and charged through the doors, vanishing from sight. Nigel was still moaning incoherently, and Kuki was huddled in a corner, pale and shaking.

"We've got to help him. Nigel, Kuki, get up!" ordered Chad. They remained still. "Come on, he can't take that guy alone!" he pleaded.

"There's no point," said Nigel. Tears were still streaming from his eyes. "We've all failed."

"We have to try!" urged Cree. "Abby's still back there, we can't let her down! I won't let her die!"

"Nigel, you haven't failed, not yet. There's still time to make things right. But if you quit here and now, then you've failed everyone on this planet, Nigel, and you can never change that. You have to make your decision now. Are you going to let Wally die in vain?" asked Chad, gesturing at Wally's limp form.

"Forget this, I'm going to help Crow!" cried Cree, disgusted. Chad held on to her shoulder.

"This isn't over!" yelled Chad. "There's still a chance, we can make a difference! We have to get in there now! Don't you people realize what's at stake?"

Memories started to creep their way through Kuki's mind.

_Erm, Kuki? I know you… love this guy, but… there's something… you need to know!_

_Yes, numbuh Four?_

_I, erm, I-I think… I think- -_

Had that really been five years ago? Life seemed so carefree back then. Even at the brink of death. At least she had Wally with her.

_I'm leaving. I'm going to Australia with the others, back to my home. They need me, now that Dizzy's gone._

She thought she'd never see him again, never get a chance to tell him how she felt. It was the worst thing she could have ever imagined, next to him dying. But he returned. He returned, and that fairy tale romance actually came true. For a while, at least. And what a magical time it had been. How had they both managed to screw things up so badly?

_You want to help me, Kooks? Kill me. Kill me right now, because that's the only thing that will help me. Are you going to help me?_

Kuki felt a shiver run through her spine. The very idea of killing him was so absurd, so strange, so evil. She would never do that to Wally, not in a million years. And yet here she was, the murderer of her one true love._ I did what you asked, Wally. Eventually._

She could hear screams and shouts coming from the other room. She rose from her feet and pushed the bangs from her eyes. Her tears had dried now. "Come on, Nigel. We're going with them."

"Leave me alone," he moaned in reply, head bowed.

"We owe it to Wally and Hoagie. I'm not going to let them die in vain. Are you such a horrible leader that you won't avenge your teammates?"

"I'm not a leader anymore," he sighed.

"Yes you are. Until the end of this mission. Then you can quit if you want. Get up. We've got one more fight."

Nigel lifted his head to look at her. "All right, Kuki. One more fight." Chad gave Nigel a small smile. They turned to the room and charged.

"This room is perfect for battle," breathed Alcarin, observing the room he had just created. He had made it nice and spacious, there would be plenty of room to fight. No fancy carpets or painted walls, just a large, bare room where he could duke it out with the others. Just what he wanted.

"Should be quite a show," he remarked, tossing Hoagie's body to the side. "Don't you think so, Abby?" He heard a giggle from her. He turned his head to find her her giggling uncontrollably, rolling around on the ground, crimson tears of laughter streaming down her face.

Alcarin chuckled. "So, the great Abby Lincoln finally loses control. I was hoping you'd turn insane by the end of this. This makes victory so much sweeter."

Abby kept giggling like a maniac. It felt so good to not have any control of herself, to just roll around on the floor without any sense of responsibility or dignity. She had lost her mind, and she had never felt better. She was laughing so hard it hurt, and she started coughing inbetween giggles. She finally hyperventilated and passed out.

"What a pathetic wretch. Let me put you out of your misery, child." A gleaming sword formed in his outstretched arm. He raised it over his head, and swung down.

CLANG! Alcarin twisted the sword just in time to parry Crow's scythe, swinging at him from behind. The weapons locked.

"I was waiting for you to get here. Took you long enough," mocked Alcarin.

A furious, blazing Crow stood before him. "I made a promise to you. I intend to keep it." Crow flipped into the air and swung his scythe at Alcarin's neck, only to have it blocked by Alcarin.

"I can read your every move, Crow. This is a pointless struggle."

Crow screamed at him and swung the tip of the blade at his skull. Alcarin dodged it and thrust his sword at Crow, nicking his side. Crow literally flew at him and launched a frenzy of attacks at him, each one more vicious than the next. But Alcarin either blocked or dodged each and every one. Finally, Crow returned to the ground and sent a pillar of flame at him. It hit him dead on, but he was unfazed.

"My turn." Within the blink of an eye, Alcarin had closed the distance between himself and Crow, stabbed him through the stomach, and retracted the sword. Crow's black eyes widened in shock, and he sank to his knees, dropping the scythe.

"No!" Abby had awakened just in time to see Crow get stabbed. Alcarin cackled triumphantly and was about to cut his head off when a scrawny boy tackled him to the ground. Alcarin sent the boy flying towards Abby. He peered at his assailant.

"Haven't killed me yet, buddy," taunted Hoagie, rising to his feet. His chest wound had somehow healed itself. "Don't worry Abby, I'll protect you." He moved directly in front of her.

"Damn, I forgot to keep it going!" whispered Alcarin. Hoagie looked at him curiously. "Well, never mind, boy, I'll finish the job for good this time!" He threw his sword at Hoagie, and it was caught in midair by Abby, who had dashed in front of him. He tears were gone, and so was her maniacal laugh. Instead, she had a lunatic gleam in her eye, and she grinned.

"That's all right, Hoagie. Abby can take care of herself." She launched her self at Alcarin, swinging it like a master swordsman. Alcarin was taken by surprise and awkwardly dodged the sword, not even thinking to create a new one. Abby drove him back all the way to the closest wall, and pinned him by his own cape. Alcarin ripped it off and punched Abby across the face, breaking her jaw. He rose into the air and conjured a thunderbolt.

BRAAK! A burst of gunfire flew through the room.

"FOR WALLY!" Chad, Cree, Kuki and Nigel charged into the room, guns blazing. Chad was firing off his uzis, and the others were shooting their handguns. Alcarin rushed them and knocked the guns out of their hands. Chad reached for his magnum but Alcarin had already pinned him by the throat. Before he could crush Chad's throat, Cree was upon him, swinging her double volge. She was moving so fast that Alcarin had to conjure another sword to block her attacks.

"Thanks for the distraction, Chad!" she called. She was doing so much twirling and spinning that it was hard to tell if she was fighting or breakdancing.

"Hang on, Cree!" shouted Chad. Chad pulled out a katana from beneath his trenchcoat and rushed to help her. Alcarin conjured up another sword to keep up with their attacks. He still managed to block them all effortlessly. He disarmed them and sent them flying into a wall. He threw his swords into the ground.

Kuki and Nigel ran to pick up the slack, attacking him hand to hand, but it wasn't long before he had stopped them too. He grabbed their throats and chokeslammed them into the ground. A black fireball appeared out of nowhere. Alcarin barely dodged it, and saw Crow was still alive, albeit bleeding profusely. He was leaning on his scythe for support.

"This time, you die," he panted. He threw his scythe on the ground and flew at Alcarin, tackling him to the ground. Kuki and Nigel jumped on them, adding extra weight. Hoagie and Abby joined them, followed by Cree, forming a huge dogpile. Chad rushed over to them, raised his katana, and slashed at Alcarin's throat.

"NO!" Alcarin knocked them all back with his telekinesis. He rose to his feet, screaming, "How dare you! How dare you try to kill the greatest sorcerer who ever lived? I'll kill you all!" His blue eyes blazed with anger. He didn't look like royalty anymore. He looked like a madman. He raised his hand towards the ceiling. A giant thundercloud began forming in the room, thunderbolts crackling and shimmering.

"This is what you get when you try to kill a god!" roared Alcarin. Suddenly, a burst of red fire soared past him, singeing his clothes. The thundercloud disappeared as he lost his concentration. He turned to face his assailant.

"I think it's time we end this game, Alcarin." Standing before him was Wally, his body blazing in red flame, hair flowing softly in the wind he was generating. The scythe birthmark on his right bicep was glowing.

"No more illusions, Alcarin. No more tricks. The game ends here and now," continued Wally. He didn't sound particularly angry. He just acted like he was stating fact.

"What are you talking about!" shouted Alcarin, panicked.

"No more illusions. No long blonde hair or fancy clothes or blood red capes. Show everyone who you really are," ordered Wally.

"This is who I am!" shrieked Alcarin. Suddenly, Alcarin's body shimmered and grew fuzzy, and the others briefly saw an image of an old, bald man, without the fancy clothes or royal demeanor that Alcarin had.

"No it's not. And you know it. Look, you're already struggling to maintain your illusion," observed Wally.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" screamed a hysterical Alcarin. Tears were streaming from his eyes, and his irises were red now, not blue.

"Yes I do. For the first time in my life, Alcarin, my eyes aren't clouded by rage. For the first time in my life I am not blind." Wally raised his right arm and pointed his palm at Alcarin.

"Forgive me."

"No!" shouted Alcarin. He shot towards Wally, sword raised high. Wally shot a giant wave of flame at him, completely consuming Alcarin. There was a brief scream, and then everything was silent. The room disappeared, and the others noticed that they were on a rolling green hill. The entire mansion was gone, not a trace of it left. The red flame surrounding Wally disappeared as well.

"The end," Wally sighed.

(A/N/) Confused? You should be! Don't worry, I'm going to try to make sense of this next chapter. As you may have noticed, I made some modifications to the title & summary. I think they'rebetter now.


	7. We All Shine On

Chapter 7: We All Shine On

"Wally!" screamed Kuki. She ran to him and he collapsed in her arms.

"Hi, Kuki."

"Wally, you're...you're alive?" asked Crow, bewildered and overjoyed at the same time.

"Yeah. Hey, Crow, how'd you like the flames?" Wally chuckled softly.

"Pretty damn cool," said Crow, smiling. Tears were forming in his eyes and he brushed time aside. His voice suddenly became business like.

"What the hell is going on, Wally? Alcarin stabbed me, and now I don't have a scratch on me. You and Hoagie are supposed to be dead, and now you're both alive. We were all in a huge mansion just a minute ago, and now we're here. Mind explaining?"

"Everything that's happened, everything we saw, it was all an illusion. You were right the first time, Crow. Everything was fake."

"But I felt that hellhound bite at me. And I felt Alcarin stab me, too. How is that an illusion?" asked Crow.

"That guy was an advanced telepath. Not only could he make you see the illusions, he made you feel them too. He was able to reach deep into your mind and play hell with your nervous system. He never really stabbed or killed anyone. He was just an old man that could barely move. Everything that happened there, everything, was an illusion."

"Not everything," whispered Kuki softly. Wally looked into her eyes and smiled.

"Everything that mattered, anyway," he assured.

"I can't believe it. This entire thing was all a big prank? Where the hell are the warheads then? Where was he keeping them?" asked Chad.

"I don't think there were ever any warheads, Chad. Looks like he fooled us there, too," said Abby.

"Then what was this entire thing about? Why in God's name did he drag us all the way over here! He wasn't even a threat!" cried Nigel.

"Who knows what this guy was thinking. Maybe he just wanted to play a game with us after all," pondered Hoagie.

"Some game," muttered Crow. "Which brings me to my other question. How could you tell this was all fake, Wally?"

"Well, when Kuki shot me–"

"WHAT!" cried the the others.

"I'll explain later," he said annoyedly, waving his hand like it was a trivial issue. "Anyways, after I was shot, I thought I died. Luckily, Father made me damn near indestructible(see Get Back), so I survived. Getting shot triggered that "flame on" thing that Crow has, and before I knew it, I was bathed in fire. What's weird was that I was so calm about it all. I wasn't worried or afraid about anything, and my mind was shut off to the world. That's how Alcarin's illusion stopped affecting me. Once I realized what was going on, I headed out to stop him."

"This is damn near the silliest thing Abby has heard in her entire laugh," scoffed Abby. "Why is it that we never get the endings that make sense?"

"Those aren't any fun anyway," countered Hoagie. He fell back and lay down on the soft green grass. "So what now? Do we just head back home?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds pretty good right now," replied Wally.

* * *

Two hopelessly in love teenagers were approaching the Lincoln residence. The girl was humming the Rainbow Monkey theme song loudly, and the boy was doing his best not to rip her vocal chords out. The boy took out his rage on the door, knocking loudly and nearly breaking it in two. 

"Hi you guys!" exclaimed Abby, greeting them with a big smile. Cree had decided to throw a party, the first one she had thrown in years. No one knew what it was for, exactly, but everyone was sure it was going to be big. Except for Wally, who was oblivious to the entire thing.

"Hey, Abby. 'Ave the others gotten here yet?" he asked.

"Nope, afraid not," she replied. She and Kuki started talking animatedly about girly crap, and Wally tuned them out and stared into space.

Cree approached the trio, wearing her trademark pink shirt and jeans. "Glad you guys could make it! Say, Kuki, there's something Abby and I wanted to show you up in my room. Sorry, Wally," she said, turning to him, "girls only."

"What, is it a cruddy bra or something? I've seen lots of Ku–ouch!" he yelped, as Kuki stomped on his foot with all her might. _Right, _Wally thought. _Don't bring up in front of the others how many of Kuki's bras you've seen._

"You really are tactless, you know that?" mocked Cree. "Anyway, that is not what I was talking about. Say, while you're waiting, why don't you go outside? One of my other male guests is out there, he could probably use the company."

"Right," agreed Wally, "seeing as how this is 'exclude the boys from the girls' day." The girls laughed and went upstairs. Wally muttered under his breath and grabbed a Coke from the fridge. He went outside to the balcony to see what other poor bastard got an invite to this party. He stopped suddenly. He could see through the glass door a young man with long, black hair, holding a glass of scotch. He was sitting on a lawn chair, his back turned to the door.

"Crow," whispered Wally. So, now he finally had a chance to talk to Crow about everything. Was this all part of their plan? _Stupid girls, always thinking they know what's right._ Wally slid open the glass door and stepped outside. Crow didn't even turn his head, and continued to gaze out the balcony. Wally sat in the lawn chair next to him. He gave a small gulp, and decided that Crow should be the one to talk first. He waited for what seemed like an eternity before Crow finally spoke up.

"So what do you want to know?" asked Crow.

"Um, well, for one thing, I'm curious about this entire "bursting into flame at random" thing. If I end up doing that during math class, I think someone will notice."

"Don't worry about it. Chances are, that'll never happen again," replied Crow.

"Why not?"

"Pyrokinesis takes a large amount of mental strength to harness. No offense, but you don't really have it. Father made sure not to enhance your mind when he created you, because he wanted you to be a tool. Even if we recreated the exact same circumstances, it would probably never happen. It was a once in a lifetime thing."

"Oh," said Wally, a little disappointed. "One more question. What am I going to do about this super strength thing? I almost killed a kid about a month ago. How can I control myself?" asked Wally.

Crow remained silent for a few moments. "Father gave you far more strength than he gave me. I think he wanted to make you into the Hulk. At the rate you're going, you'll probably be able to smash tanks. Learning how to control all that power isn't going to be easy. But...I'll help you. I'll train you to control your powers. It's the least I could do, I suppose. It's my fault that you were created in the first place."

"You're gonna train me?" asked Wally. "Wow, I...I don't know what to say." Wally was never particularly gifted with thanking people, as he had never done it very often in his life.

"Oh, and another thing. What's going to happen with Joey? You said you altered his DNA, right?" asked Wally, a touch of anger in his voice.

"I shouldn't have done that, Wally. I wanted to pass on those genes, so that there could be others like us, gifted humans that could change the world. I didn't want our kind to die out." Crow paused and created a small flame in his right palm. He put it out with a wave of his hand.

"I realize now that it'll cause more harm then good. As for what'll happen to Joey...I made him a mix of both of us. He'll be smarter than you, but not as strong, and stronger than me, but not as smart. Should be interesting to see how he turns out. I wouldn't be surprised if he could use pyrokinesis. If that happens, I'll help him, don't worry. I'm the one responsible for all of this."

"Damn straight," replied Wally.

"Oh, there's something I have to ask you, too," said Crow.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was, um, wondering if you would..." Crow turned his head in embarrassment. _Damn it, it shouldn't be this hard! _"Would you and your friends like to join the Tears of Blood?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course we want to join! This is what we've been waiting our entire lives for!" cried Wally.

"Even after what you went through in Germany?" asked Crow.

"Eh, we got over it. Besides, it's gotta be all uphill from there, right? I can't wait to get started! And once we get those vids released, we'll be international heroes. No one will think the Tears of Blood are terrorists."

"You can't do that, Wally," sighed Crow. "We can't let the public see those tapes. Ever."

"Why the hell not? You said you were going to release them before Alcarin interrupted everything!" countered Wally.

"We said that to calm you down. We didn't want you to think we would be known as villains forever. But we can't release those tapes. If we do, other countries will see this as a call to battle. Any country not in America's pocket will band together and declare war on America. We can't afford such a destructive war to happen. If it ever gets to that point, the Tears of Blood won't be able to control it. The public must never know the true motives of the Tears of Blood."

"So we're going to be known as villains for the rest of our lives? Isn't anyone ever going to know what we've done, the sacrifices we've made?" asked Wally.

"It's enough that _we_ know we're heroes. Perhaps, a long time from now, we'll be able to tell the world what we've done. But until then, the Tears of Blood can be no more than terrorists to the rest of the world. Are you willing to accept that, Wally?"

Crow didn't have his eyepatch off, but Wally could still feel his red, bionic eye boring into him. Did he really want to be known as a villain for the rest of his life? The public would never actually know his true identity, but still...it would be a hard life to live.

"Yeah, I'll do it. It doesn't matter what the world thinks. I know I'm a hero. I can take some comfort in that."

"Good. As of now, you and your friends are the only members of the Tears of Blood."

"I–we're–what?" asked Wally, stunned. "Hey, you can't just ditch us like that! You're the leader of the whole damn organization!"

I'm tired, Wally. I can't keep fighting anymore. At least, not at the pace I've been going. Besides, I can't keep battling across the planet. I'm going to be a Father soon."

"You're...you're what?" asked Wally.

"Cree's pregnant. That's the purpose of this entire party, I suppose, to announce it to everyone. Oh, but I wasn't supposed to say anything yet. So act surprised when she tells everybody."

"So then you and Cree are going to get married?" Wally asked shrewdly.

"Looks that way. Christ, married and a kid already. Well, I guess it's time for me to settle down," he sighed. "Kill some people for me, would you?"

"Uh, sure. Hey, it sounds like some more people have arrived. Guess the party's finally starting!" Wally and Crow went inside to find that everyone had arrived while they were talking. Hoagie and Abby were dancing together, as well as Nigel and Lizzie. Chad was talking to a pretty blonde girl that looked familiar.

"Chad'll be leading the Tears of Blood. He says he wants to stay a little longer. Don't worry, he's a good leader, if you don't remember. Uh oh, here comes the Asian Fury." Kuki ran up to them and got them both into a giant bear hug.

"You guys, Cree is about to make an announcement! Isn't it exciting?" she asked happily.

"All right, guys, cut the music," said Cree. Hoagie paused the stereo. "Since you've been waiting so long to find out what this is about, I guess I might as well come out and say it. I'm going to have a baby."

Crow elbowed Wally hard in the stomach, and his eyes bulged in shock. Meanwhile, everyone went crazy, jumping up and down like lunatics and asking Cree questions about the baby.

"What–what was that for?" croaked Wally.

"Sorry man, but you're a bad actor, and I had to make sure you looked surprised."

"So, who's the father?" asked Mr. Lincoln.

"Daddy!" shouted Cree, punching him on the shoulder. Crow put a hand to his forehead and sighed.

"I was just asking!" he replied defensively, rubbing his wound. Hoagie turned the stereo back on, and a new song played.

"Hey, isn't that Instant Karma?" asked Wally, indicating the song playing.

"Yeah. It's one of my favorites," said Crow.

"Yeah, me too." Before they knew it, their lovers had grabbed them and forced them to dance. Wally gave Crow one last smile. He realized then that it doesn't matter what happens in life, because no matter what,

We All Shine On

**Epilogue**

"She's beautiful," said Crow, gazing down at his newborn baby girl. Cree was lying in the hospital bed, exhausted, but was patiently letting her daugter feed. She smiled up at Crow.

"So, we've decided, then? We're going to name her Raven?" asked Crow.

"Yeah, I like the sound of it. Here, take her. She's your daughter, after all." Crow hesitated, and then took her in his arms. She looked just like her mother, same exact skin tone and everything. But her eyes were beetle black, like her Crow's.

"Hi Raven," whispered Crow. "I'm Crow. I'm your dad." Even as he said it, the words sounded strange. Never in his life did he expect to become a father.

"Crow, take that eyepatch off, for pete's sake," scolded Cree.

"What! But...it'll scare the living crap out of her!" he exclaimed.

"Take it off. She won't be scared. And besides, she should see what her father really looks like," she explained.

Slowly, Crow took the eyepatch off. Raven continued smiling at him and giggled a little at his red bionic eye. Relieved, he flung the eyepatch to the floor and lifted her above his head.

"So, you think your dad looks funny, huh?" he smirked.

"Well, you _are_ pretty funny looking, Crow," said Chad. Crow turned and saw that the TV was displaying the inside of the DeadWind, with Kuki, Nigel, Abby, Hoagie, Chad, and Wally all trying to squeeze into view. "Don't worry, we're only broadcasting to _your_ TV. Cute kid, by the way. Good thing she takes after her mother."

"Thank you, Chad," replied Cree, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Wow, women are a lot less attractive after childbirth," observed Wally. "Ow!" Kuki and Abby both smacked him upside the head.

"I trust everything's going well?" asked Crow.

"Just fine. Tears of Blood is thriving under me. Stopped Iran from getting fojacked just a few days ago," said Chad.

"Good. We can't have you getting killed or anything. You and Abby are the godparents, after all," said Cree.

"We are? I... jesus," mumbled Chad, a little embarassed.

"So make sure you act responsibly, kids," scolded Cree jokingly. "I don't want either of you–Crow what's wrong?"

Crow was staring at Raven with a mix of fear and wonder on his face. "I don't believe it," he whispered. "She has it."

"Has what?" Cree asked nervously.

"The Mark," he replied, pointing at his daughter's right biceps. "The Mark of Father."

THE END

(A/N)Man, I wish I could make this into a cartoon. Anyways, this is the end of the Mark of Father trilogy. I'm not going to be writing any stories that take place after The End. However, I will be writing stories that take place before The End. What, you thought I was gonna end a universe as cool as this? Hell no. Too many great stories to pass up. Thanks to Riobella and lovebird3000 for giving me some great reviews. Oh, and if there's anyone out there that wants to use my OC's, just ask me and I'll let you. Well, I'll see you around.


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